Foran teachers, Mr. William Domeracki and Mrs. Shannon Worcester, both have successful gardens.
As spring begins, it’s the perfect time to start a garden. Here are some tips and tricks for growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables for students or faculty who want to start gardening.
Domeracki advises new gardeners to “watch many YouTube videos or read a good book.”
One good book to read about gardening is The Vegetable Garden Planner by Lynn Byczynski. Another option is The Creative Vegetable Gardener by Kelly Smith Trimbl.
Another tip he has is to start small and plant root vegetables as they are easy to maintain, just having to weed and water them.
“Don’t go off on some crazy vegetable that isn’t used to being in this climate. Build up your confidence, then go from there. When you want to get fancy, you’ll do that as you get better and better,” Domeracki also suggests.
He plants a bunch of root vegetables such as potatoes, radishes, carrots, and beets, as well as making pickles.
“We like to do vegetables the most because you can store them easily. So you can put them in a refrigerator…” Domeracki states.
Worcester also recommends starting small. They should also use raised beds since it’s easier to control them in terms of watering and soil.
While Worcester has loved gardening for a long time, she fell in love with flowers after taking a floral art and horticulture class at UConn.
Now, she has a flower farm planting Dahlias, Celosia, St. John’s Wort, and many more. They also plant some fruits and vegetables like apples, watermelon, peppers, and tomatoes.
Don’t worry, gardening isn’t only a possibility if you own land. Milford has a public garden called the Benson-Crump Memorial Community Gardens, located on North Street near Eisenhower Park.
Not only does gardening provide you with beautiful flowers and healthy food options, but it’s also good for your mental health by helping reduce stress and anxiety.
Worcester states, “Gardening is very relaxing in most cases. I love going into my greenhouse and spending time in the warmth.”
If interested, visiting local farms in the community is a great way to get started. Filanowski Farms, located on Wheelers Farm Road, has been a family-owned and operated farm since 1900. This is a great place to consult experienced gardeners.
Worcester continues, “Flowers and plants, in general, want to grow—if you give them extra attention, they thrive—but with just a minute of your time every day, a flower will grow into a beautiful bloom!”
